Chapter Sixteen: The Decision
But Cao Yun also keenly sensed the faint, almost imperceptible chill hidden in Elder Pang’s eyes. He knew all too well that at this moment, he was like a fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others—one misstep could mean death. The sudden shift in Elder Pang’s demeanor made it clear: there was no room for negotiation.
So Cao Yun chose to endure silently, saying no more. He resolved inwardly that if such a valuable item appeared again, he must never recklessly trade it away. He needed to find a more suitable moment and a safer method of exchange to maximize his own benefit.
With a slight smile, he took a heavy pouch of spirit stones from Elder Pang’s hand, his fingertips lightly stroking the surface as a subtle gleam flickered in his eyes.
“Thank you, Elder, for your generosity. I am deeply grateful,” Cao Yun said sincerely, his tone gentle, as if truly satisfied with the price.
Seeing this, the cold sharpness in Elder Pang’s eyes briefly softened, replaced by a faint smile of approval. He patted Cao Yun’s shoulder earnestly and said, “Train well. With your talent and intellect, you are destined for greatness.”
Having spoken, Elder Pang shot a knowing glance at Elder Gui without hesitation, then left cheerfully.
Once Elder Pang’s figure vanished from sight, Elder Gui’s previously affable smile instantly hardened. He fixed his gaze upon Cao Yun and asked coldly, “Young friend, I don’t recall you having that storage pouch before you came. Given your five-element spiritual root and the need to hunt beasts, it’s hardly easy to reach the first level of Qi Refinement within a month, is it?”
Cao Yun had anticipated this question eventually, so he candidly recounted his encounter with Zhang Jin in the Southern Wu Kingdom and the scene in the Myriad Demon Forest when he met Zhang Jin. Of course, he credited most of the achievements in slaying beasts and collecting blood to Zhang Jin, omitting the part about Zhang Jin’s grievous injury, soul usurpation, and the mysterious space.
Elder Gui nodded slightly, lamenting Zhang Jin’s misfortune, before shifting the topic to ask if Cao Yun had anything to exchange.
After a moment’s thought, Cao Yun replied slowly, “I originally wished to replace my pill furnace, but I am short of spirit stones, and the other items I possess currently serve no purpose. I shall accumulate more spirit stones before attempting an exchange. Elder Gui has been of great assistance this time; I feel uneasy taking a full payment. I will leave fifty spirit stones and consider the rest a token of my gratitude for your help.”
Elder Gui was momentarily taken aback, then smiled, “Young friend, you flatter me. I am not one to haggle over trivial gains. Since you are pleasing to the eye and I once studied alchemy myself—though my talent was poor and wasted a fine pill furnace—if you don’t mind, I’ll sell you this pill furnace for fifty spirit stones.”
Cao Yun’s heart leapt with joy, but he masked it with a look of humble surprise. “Elder Gui’s generosity is most welcome. How could I possibly refuse? This is exactly what I sought!”
***
After the transaction, Elder Gui used the Clear Heart Technique to delay the Fragmented Heart Technique within Cao Yun’s body by a month, instructing him to infuse spiritual power into the blood storage pouch once every month to ensure the preservation array functions properly.
Though Cao Yun suffered a great loss in this trade, he had no alternative.
Fortunately, he had unexpectedly obtained the pill furnace ahead of time.
“Blood Servant, you must have returned richly laden this time. After all, you were gone for more than three hours, much longer than other blood servants,” said a guard standing beside the bronze gate, respectfully saluting Cao Yun as he prepared to re-enter the Myriad Demon Forest.
Cao Yun glanced coldly at the guard, then his figure transformed into a swift streak of light, vanishing from the guard’s sight in the blink of an eye.
Though to the members of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect he was but a lowly blood slave, Cao Yun was after all a cultivator, and his status was far beyond that of these mundane guards.
Should any of them dare to deliberately obstruct him, Cao Yun could kill them as easily as crushing an ant.
Returning to his cave dwelling, Cao Yun pondered how to harvest the two Hundred-Tempered Flowers that had nearly cost Zhang Jin his life.
These flowers were fiercely guarded by two extraordinarily powerful beasts, making the task exceptionally difficult.
Zhang Jin had been careless, mistakenly believing there was only one guardian beast.
When the beast went out hunting, Zhang Jin tried to seize the flowers, but just as he moved, a sudden shadow struck him, sending him flying. His internal organs were severely damaged; he barely managed to stabilize his injuries with spiritual power, then expended much of his lifespan to activate the Wind Escape Technique and flee. By the time he met Cao Yun, he was utterly exhausted, near death.
At Cao Yun’s current strength, killing these two beasts was almost impossible. Even by surprise, he felt unable to break through their defenses.
***
Unless the two beasts were grievously wounded or attacked by others, there was no way for him to harvest the Hundred-Tempered Flowers.
Yet the allure of those flowers was nearly fatal for both Zhang Jin and Cao Yun.
No matter what, he had to find a way to obtain them.
Not for any other reason than that Cao Yun possessed a five-element spiritual root. If he had four-element roots, perhaps with arduous cultivation he could break through the Qi Refinement second level bottleneck. But for a five-element root like his, relying solely on cultivation to surpass that barrier was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Thus, he pinned his hopes on external means. Among Qi Refinement cultivators, what spirit medicine could compare to the Hundred-Tempered Flower?
After much contemplation, Cao Yun reached a conclusion: the only way to kill those two formidable beasts was with poison. But where could he find such a deadly toxin?
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